Reuters: on Civil Rights
Anthony Kennedy:
Can’t outlaw flag burning
Usually conservative, and part of the majority bloc that favors states’ rights, but voted against states that wanted to outlaw flag burning.
Source: (X-ref government) Reuters article in Boston Globe, p. A45
Dec 1, 2000
Claire McCaskill:
Women shouldn't get paid less simply because they're women
McCaskill said women in Akin's employ the past 12 years had earned an average of 23.4 percent less than men. "He supports the boss being able to decide whether or not you get paid less simply because you are a woman," she said.
Akin did not respond directly to McCaskill's assertion, but has said he believes pay should be left to the discretion of employers. Akin said McCaskill must share the blame for the slumping economy and growing national debt.
Source: Reuters on 2012 Missouri Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
Elizabeth Dole:
For school prayer & 10 Commandments in schools
Declaring she reads the Bible every day, Dole told the Christian Coalition she favored allowing silent school prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools. "It is wrong that our children are not allowed a silent moment of prayer in
school, that they cannot look up on their classroom wall and see the Ten Commandments, which have undergirded western culture for nearly 2,000 years," she said.
Source: (Cross-ref Education) Alan Elsner, Reuters
Oct 1, 1999
Harriet Miers:
Supported racial and gender set-asides as head of Texas Bar
Harriet Miers supported affirmative action goals in the early 1990s when she served as president of the State Bar of Texas, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Miers wrote that "our legal community must
reflect our population as a whole," and under her leadership the lawyers' association supported racial and gender set-asides and numerical targets for jobs, the newspaper reported.
Source: Reuters "Affirmative Action," on 2005 SCOTUS hearing
Oct 22, 2005
Jim McGreevey:
Resigned over gay affair, but opposes gay marriage
New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, who earlier this year said he opposed gay marriage, announced he would resign and admitted having a homosexual affair. McGreevey, who is married with two children,
told reporters he had a consensual sexual affair with another man and that he had been conflicted over his sexuality since adolescence. "I indulged in a consensual sexual affair with another man, violating the bonds of my marriage,"
McGreevey, a Democrat, told a news conference, his wife by his side. "I have decided the right course of action is to resign." He said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.
McGreevey, 47, took office in January 2002 for a four-year term and will be succeeded by Democrat Richard Codey, the current president of the state senate, since there is currently no lieutenant governor.
Source: Reuters
Aug 12, 2004
John Paul Stevens:
Favors affirmative action
Stevens favors abortion rights, affirmative action, and defendants' rights. His 1995 opinion struck down state term limits on candidates for congress.
Source: (X-ref government) Reuters article in Boston Globe, p. A45
Dec 1, 2000
Merrick Garland:
Improve hate crime reporting; prioritize prosecutions
Amid reports of a rising number of hate crimes against Asian Americans, Garland announced he is launching a 30-day "expedited review" into how the Justice Department can bolster its efforts to prosecute hate crimes and improve data collection.
Garland said he wants to find ways to improve reporting of hate crimes, "prioritize criminal investigations and prosecutions," and work with civil authorities to address cases of bias which may not rise to the statutory definition of a hate crime.
Source: Reuters, "Hate Crimes," 2021 Biden Administration
Mar 30, 2021
Mike Beebe:
No gay marriage; no civil unions; maybe gay adoption
Mike Beebe on Tuesday night became the first sitting governor of the state to speak to a gay rights group. Beebe, who won his second term in 2010, addressed the Stonewall Democrats in a packed church hall of more than 200 people.In the past,
Beebe and the gay community have not agreed on many issues, including adoption rights and gay marriage, and the same was true on Tuesday night. "I think marriage is ... as defined by the law," he said, saying unions should be between a man and a
woman. "That's something we disagree on," he said.
When asked if he thought marriage or civil union laws would ever become legal in Bible Belt Arkansas, Beebe said no. Beebe told the group his opinions had changed over the years.
In 2006, he was opposed to gays becoming foster parents. When the issue reemerged in 2008, Beebe changed his viewpoint and said there should not be a blanket provision. The determining factor, he said, should be in the best interest of the child.
Source: Suzi Parker reporting for Reuters
Jun 27, 2011
Pope Francis:
Met at Vatican Embassy with openly gay man & his partner
Pope Francis secretly met a Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples and gave her words of encouragement, her attorney said. Mat Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel, said that the pope met Rowan
County Clerk Kim Davis at the Vatican embassy in Washington during his visit to the US.The Vatican chief spokesman said he would neither confirm nor deny the report and that there would be no further statement. The pope, speaking as he returned home
from his 10-day trip to the US and Cuba, said government officials had a "human right" to refuse to discharge a duty if they felt it violated their conscience.
During the meeting, the pope told Davis to "stay strong", Staver said. Davis, whose parents
are Catholic, has said her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Conservative Christians, including some Republican presidential candidates, have said Davis is standing up for religious freedom.
Source: Reuters coverage of Pope Francis' 2015 U.S. visit
Sep 30, 2015
Pope Francis:
If a gay person seeks God, Who am I to judge?
Francis is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and has also marked himself out for his tolerance regarding taboo topics. In a remark that has become emblematic of his papacy,
he asked "who am I to judge?" with regard to a gay person who seeks God.
Source: Thomson-Reuters coverage of Pope Francis' 2015 U.S. visit
Sep 1, 2015
Stephen Breyer:
Disabled people can sue states under federal ADA law
Breyer is a consistently liberal voice on the court. He recently affirmed the right of disabled people to sue states under federal civil rights law.
Source: (X-ref government) Reuters article in Boston Globe, p. A45
Dec 1, 2000
Tate Reeves:
Clerks have religious right to refuse gay marriage licenses
A federal judge ruled that clerks in Mississippi may not recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples based on religious beliefs. But Mississippi's Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, quickly slammed the ruling in a statement. "If this opinion
by the federal court denies even one Mississippian of their fundamental right to practice their religion, then all Mississippians are denied their 1st Amendment rights," Reeves said.
Source: Reuters news service on 2018 Mississippi Senate race
May 3, 2018
Todd Akin:
Women's pay should be left to discretion of employers
McCaskill said women in Akin's employ the past 12 years had earned an average of 23.4 percent less than men. "He supports the boss being able to decide whether or not you get paid less simply because you are a woman," she said.
Akin did not respond directly to McCaskill's assertion, but has said he believes pay should be left to the discretion of employers. Akin said McCaskill must share the blame for the slumping economy and growing national debt.
Source: Reuters on 2012 Missouri Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
Page last updated: Sep 29, 2024